“Becoming inclusion-minded begins at a personal level.”

Nika White

Who she is: As president and CEO of her eponymous consulting firm, she specializes in diversity and inclusion management, drawing on 20 years of professional experience. “It’s important for us to shift our mindset from seeing diversity and inclusion as an obligation to seeing it as an opportunity.”

Local impact: Formerly the vice president of diversity and inclusion for the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, she helped create the Minority Business Accelerator, a program that has helped more than 50 businesses land $15.5 million in contracts and create 200-plus jobs since 2012.

Favorable results: “When teams have a great level of diversity, they’re much more progressive, much more innovative, and they have greater problem-solving abilities. All of that leads to positive impact for the bottom line.”

Giving back: In August, Nika teamed up with her husband to launch the Carlo and Nika White Foundation, mentoring entrepreneurs and awarding African-American businesses with $10,000 in grants.